Hyderabad: It needed a visit to Canada and Dubai for traffic and law and order police officials to reform pedestrian crossing in the city. Traffic officials are looking to immediately clear footpaths at 25 junctions. GHMC and the traffic department have already launched a drive to clear footpath encroachers. Secondly, 25 junctions will have pelican lights to facilitate safe crossing, both at the junctions and at the inter median. All 225 junctions in the city will eventually have safe crossing facilities and footpaths will be barricaded to avoid pedestrian interference with speeding vehicles.
Hyderabad South traffic DCP A.V. Ranganath said, “In phase one, encroachments on footpaths will be cleared so that pedestrians have space to walk. Secondly, junctions will be equipped with countdown timers, like the signal fleets (poles) every signal will have a crossing timer too. With this, there will be more signal pedestrian crossings.”
“Pedestrians have always been an important component in the road safety aspect for the city. Even before the visit, we had plans and a few were implemented too, in coordination with NGOs and road safety organisations. However, after the visit the implementation has been intensified,” he said.
